Client devices within a company are generally connected to one another via a local subnet, and local subnets are connected to other networks by a gateway. Data addressed to computers outside the subnet is first directed to the gateway before sending the data out to the target computer. Each client device on the local subnet is configured with the internet protocol (IP) address of the local subnet gateway.
Some modern networks include network devices that act as both access points and gateways. In these local subnets, one of the network devices is chosen to operate as the gateway. Consequently, the local subnet is limited by the capabilities of the chosen network device. Further, as local subnets grow in size, these network devices may begin to receive more data than the device is able to processes efficiently.